Night Always Comes (2025) || Dark, Raw and Deeply Human

Some films entertain you, some thrill you and then there are the ones that just sit heavy in your chest even after the credits roll. This film belongs to that last category. It’s not the kind of movie you throw on casually. It’s the kind that makes you stare at the screen a little longer than you meant to, thinking about how unfair life can be and how people keep fighting anyway.

Synopsis

The story follows Lynette (played with raw ferocity by Vanessa Kirby), a woman living on the margins of Portland, Oregon. She’s desperate to scrape together enough money to buy the house she’s been renting before developers swoop in and take it. And over the course of one long, restless night, she goes around the city. One full of broken promises, shady characters, and of course old wounds.

My Review and Rating

This movie really captures desperation at its core. Lynette comes off as a heroine because she’s trying to help her family by getting the house so they’re not thrown out into the street but she’s not the typical heroine anyway. She’s messy and bruised and angry, but all the things she does are powered by the hope of having stability; a home, maybe a chance to break the cycle, something better than just scraping by. Even when her choices aren’t nice ones but you understand them. I found myself rooting for her the way you root for someone you know isn’t perfect but deserves a break anyway.

Performance wise, Vanessa Kirby carries this film. I mean she gives Lynette a kind of nervous energy, like she’s one step from breaking but still forcing herself to keep moving. Every look or pause feels layered. The supporting cast adds grit, but make no mistake, this is her show.

The atmosphere is equally gripping. It felt even better because I watched this in the wee hours of the morning. Portland is shot as both familiar and alien. The neon bleeding into shadows, rain-soaked streets that feel claustrophobic, and then there’s this mood that just makes you feel the weight of every locked door Lynette knocks on.

I’ll warn you ahead that this isn’t a slick, popcorn kind of movie. The pacing can feel uneven, lingering longer than you’d expect in some scenes. And the story itself doesn’t give easy resolutions. Not sure it was made to hand anyone comfort. That said, if you go in expecting a very nice, triumphant ending, you’ll be let down. But if you accept the roughness as part of the design, it makes sense.

This one is going to stick with me a little longer because at its heart, it’s a film about survival. It’s not the conventional Hollywood kind with explosions, but the quiet, relentless kind where Lynette’s fight to secure a home for herself and her family feels painfully real, and I couldn’t shake the thought of how many people outside the theater are living that same battle.

This film isn’t an easy watch but it’s a powerful one. It’s kind of a reminder that for some, “making it” isn’t about glory but about getting through the night with something to hold onto.

Rating: 8/10

PS: the movie is based on Willy Vlautin’s novel of the same name. I should add the book to my to-read list to compare how well they carried the story.